Signatures Soul Skiing

Sweetgrass Productions’ newest film, Signatures, enticed a full house last night at Denver’s Oriental Theatre. The bacon smell permeating the venue and the flick’s esoteric ski analogies delivered in Japanese reminded me of the two things I love most about skiing: powder turns and breakfast burritos.

Driving to the theatre we took a Denver superhighway, a wide street lined with pawnshops, taco shops, and Little Caesar’s. Then we saw the 50s-era theater, the line—about a half a block long—and the brightly colored Woodstock-style bus used by the Sweetgrass Productions crew for transportation. This is where Sweetgrass showed its down-to-earth film, Signatures.

After a slight technological mishap, the production crew decided not to play the HD version, but it doesn't matter. For most viewers, the screen could have been half the size, the images blurry, and the sound crackling, and the crowd would still have appreciated the quality of the story, shot entirely in Japan last winter. The film reminded people of why they ski; athletes and action take a backseat to lifestyle and the natural world. Think Baraka meets Theory 3 ski action; impressive, yet overshadowed by the profound inspiration of mountains and culture.

Sweetgrass Productions landed the Best Cinematography award at IF3 Film Festival in Montreal last month. —Molly Baker